Midnight
by Lennyrawrr
Summary: Kelsa moves to a small town after her parents die. Left in the care of her Aunt and Uncle, Kelsa thinks life is pretty normal. Until she meets the reclusive Ashmores, and one girl who change her life forever.
1. Moving

I watched the raindrops slowly slide down my passenger window. I sighed, and then wondered, will the weather always be like this? I waited patiently, while my Uncle Tom drove away from the airport. "So," he began. "How was your flight?"

"In word, boring." I answered glumly.

"That bad, huh? Oh well, once you get home, you'll rest up and relax."

I turned to look at him. "Thank you. I mean, you didn't have to do this for me. I could have gone to Granddad Mark's or someone…" My voice trailed off, embarrassed. Tom sighed, then patted my knee gently.

"Don't worry about it." His voice grew quiet then.

I turned my attention back to the rain. I was moving from moderately sunny Jersey to down-in-the-dumps Seathwaite. It always rained here. Everything seemed to be covered in green; the tree trunks, the ground, even some of the buildings. A sign said we were 5 miles from Seathwaite. The real reason I was moving, was because my Aunt Millie had had a nervous breakdown. She had been my previous guardian. As for my parents, well… they were dead.

A lump formed in my throat every time I thought about them. Quickly, I pushed them out of my mind. If I kept thinking about them, I'd start crying.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. I did sneeze once, and Tom laughed and told me I'd soon get used to the weather. I laughed too, and smiled warmly at him. Tom turned a sharp corner and we started to drive uphill. "I should warn you," Tom said. "Claire is very excited to see you. She'll pounce if she gets the chance." He laughed.

"I think I can handle it" Claire was Tom's wife, my Aunt. We'd never spoken more than a few sentences, but I did like her. I just had to adjust.

"And, you have a car!" Tom announced suddenly.

"I- I have a what?" I was stunned.

"A car, yep. We got it for you a few days ago, actually. You need to get to school somehow."

"A car, thank you! Oooh, what's it like?"

"It drives like a beauty. It's a BMW 5 series, got it very cheap off a guy in Leeds"

Tom pulled up outside a familiar house. I used to spend my summers with Claire and Tom until I turned 10. The outside looked exactly the same. Windows, doors and a huge elm tree in the front. I could spy Claire in a window, before she rushed through the front door.

"Kelsa, Kelsa!" Clair shouted. Tom and I got out of the car, and as he predicted, she pounced. Claire wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "I missed you so much!"

This was different. Tom had only given me an awkward one-armed hug. Claire was a different story. "Hey, Aunt Claire. I missed you too." And I really meant it.

I spotted my new car in front of the elm tree. I started walking towards it, but Tom steered me in the wrong direction. "Oh no you don't. Unpack, relax, and eat. Then worry about the car. Don't look at me like that. If it makes you feel better, here are the keys." He handed me a single key, with a voodoo doll keychain. "Thanks." I smiled up at him.

I took my luggage from the car, and entered to house. I walked upstairs and waited for Tom to join me. He opened a door and let me enter first. "This is your room. You can pack your stuff in the dresser here-" He pointed to a wooden dresser in the corner of the room."-and here's your bed and stuff…" I laughed, and told him I'd be fine.

Tom walked out of my room. I put my clothes in the dresser, the shoes and coats in the wardrobe and my laptop on the desk. The walls of the room were purple and green. The ceiling was blue. I took posters out of my other suitcase, and hung them in random places about the room. They were of my favorite bands, movies and actors/actresses. When I finished the place looked really homey. I went into the bathroom and started to brush my hair. It was light brown and was very tangled right now. After looking in my reflection, I decided to wash my face also. My eyes were really dull, usually a very bright blue, they looked bored and lifeless. I sighed and went downstairs.

My car key was in my pocket. I felt I could sneak past Tom and just sit in there. I opened the front door and quickly ran outside. The rain had stopped, and left a mist that hung around like a web. I took the keys and went forward to unlock the door. Then I sat in the drivers' seat. This felt great. Tomorrow, I'd be driving to school.

That last thought sent shivers down my back, but I told myself it was the mist. I put my hands on the steering wheel, and sighed. I wanted to turn it on, but Claire started calling for me, and I knew it was time to eat.


	2. First Sight

I watched the raindrops slowly slide down my passenger window. I sighed, and then wondered, will the weather always be like this? I waited patiently, while my Uncle Tom drove away from the airport. "So," he began. "How was your flight?"

"In word, boring." I answered glumly.

"That bad, huh? Oh well, once you get home, you'll rest up and relax."

I turned to look at him. "Thank you. I mean, you didn't have to do this for me. I could have gone to Granddad Mark's or someone…" My voice trailed off, embarrassed. Tom sighed, then patted my knee gently.

"Don't worry about it." His voice grew quiet then.

I turned my attention back to the rain. I was moving from moderately sunny Jersey to down-in-the-dumps Seathwaite. It always rained here. Everything seemed to be covered in green; the tree trunks, the ground, even some of the buildings. A sign said we were 5 miles from Seathwaite. The real reason I was moving, was because my Aunt Millie had had a nervous breakdown. She had been my previous guardian. As for my parents, well… they were dead.

A lump formed in my throat every time I thought about them. Quickly, I pushed them out of my mind. If I kept thinking about them, I'd start crying.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. I did sneeze once, and Tom laughed and told me I'd soon get used to the weather. I laughed too, and smiled warmly at him. Tom turned a sharp corner and we started to drive uphill. "I should warn you," Tom said. "Claire is very excited to see you. She'll pounce if she gets the chance." He laughed.

"I think I can handle it" Claire was Tom's wife, my Aunt. We'd never spoken more than a few sentences, but I did like her. I just had to adjust.

"And, you have a car!" Tom announced suddenly.

"I- I have a what?" I was stunned.

"A car, yep. We got it for you a few days ago, actually. You need to get to school somehow."

"A car, thank you! Oooh, what's it like?"

"It drives like a beauty. It's a BMW 5 series, got it very cheap off a guy in Leeds"

Tom pulled up outside a familiar house. I used to spend my summers with Claire and Tom until I turned 10. The outside looked exactly the same. Windows, doors and a huge elm tree in the front. I could spy Claire in a window, before she rushed through the front door.

"Kelsa, Kelsa!" Clair shouted. Tom and I got out of the car, and as he predicted, she pounced. Claire wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "I missed you so much!"

This was different. Tom had only given me an awkward one-armed hug. Claire was a different story. "Hey, Aunt Claire. I missed you too." And I really meant it.

I spotted my new car in front of the elm tree. I started walking towards it, but Tom steered me in the wrong direction. "Oh no you don't. Unpack, relax, and eat. Then worry about the car. Don't look at me like that. If it makes you feel better, here are the keys." He handed me a single key, with a voodoo doll keychain. "Thanks." I smiled up at him.

I took my luggage from the car, and entered to house. I walked upstairs and waited for Tom to join me. He opened a door and let me enter first. "This is your room. You can pack your stuff in the dresser here-" He pointed to a wooden dresser in the corner of the room."-and here's your bed and stuff…" I laughed, and told him I'd be fine.

Tom walked out of my room. I put my clothes in the dresser, the shoes and coats in the wardrobe and my laptop on the desk. The walls of the room were purple and green. The ceiling was blue. I took posters out of my other suitcase, and hung them in random places about the room. They were of my favorite bands, movies and actors/actresses. When I finished the place looked really homey. I went into the bathroom and started to brush my hair. It was light brown and was very tangled right now. After looking in my reflection, I decided to wash my face also. My eyes were really dull, usually a very bright blue, they looked bored and lifeless. I sighed and went downstairs.

My car key was in my pocket. I felt I could sneak past Tom and just sit in there. I opened the front door and quickly ran outside. The rain had stopped, and left a mist that hung around like a web. I took the keys and went forward to unlock the door. Then I sat in the drivers' seat. This felt great. Tomorrow, I'd be driving to school.

That last thought sent shivers down my back, but I told myself it was the mist. I put my hands on the steering wheel, and sighed. I wanted to turn it on, but Claire started calling for me, and I knew it was time to eat.

**CHAPTER 2**

I woke up to an annoying beeping. Quickly realizing it was my alarm; I shut it off and went to get my toiletries bag. I brushed my teeth furiously, and then had a shower. I could have stayed in there forever, but Claire told me to hurry.

I'd slept well during the night, but I kept waking up because of the cold. The rain had picked up again, and I pulled my head under my covers. After half an hour of this, I pulled the pillow over too.

I trudged down the stairs. "Morning." I said. Claire looked up from her magazine and Tom from his book. "Morning." They both chimed.

I put some Cheerios in a bowl and added milk and sugar to it. Claire said, "You'd better hurry, you'll be late. Do you know the way?"

"Drive past all the houses, and into the woodsy area. Turn left, then right. I'll know I'm there when I see other kids, possibly also in cars." I recited. Tom had given me the directions last night.

"Good." Said Claire. "Well, I'm off to work. Have a great day at school" She kissed me on the forehead and Tom on the cheek. A few minutes later Tom had to leave. He told me to have a great day too.

I left last. I got into my car and started off for school. It wasn't hard to find. I heard a few people whisper and look at he while I got out of my car.

The reception wasn't hard to find and when I went in, I felt very warm. "Hi, I need a timetable" I said awkwardly. The receptionist had honey-blonde hair and wore glasses that kept sliding down the bridge of her nose. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Kelsa Morgan, I'm new here"

She typed something on her keyboard, and something started printing off behind her. She handed me my timetable. "Thanks." I said. She told me to have a great first day.

I was getting tired of this.

My first lesson was science. Followed my music, maths, more science and finally food tech.

I started walking towards the science block. I looked around for my classroom and found that a girl was staring at me.

"Hi, you're Kelsa, aren't you? I'm Jess; I can show you around if you like?" She had bright blonde hair that had obviously been bleached too much. Her eyes were a startling blue that were outlined in eyeliner. She seemed friendly enough.

"Hey Jess I'm in room S12, but I can't find it."

"It's right there, silly." She pointed to a room right down the hallway.

"Thanks" I murmured.

"So, how do you like Seathwaite? I bet it's freezing, since you moved from somewhere warmer. You don't look very tanned, where'd you move from?"

"Um… Seathwaite is… Okay, I guess. I mean, it's way colder thanJersey. And, uh, I don't tan. Or burn." I answered her questions.

"You don't tan? Wow, that's amazing…"

The questions carried on like that, until we were outside our classroom. When we entered, I felt a hush. Everyone stare at the new girl. I ignored them and walked up to the teacher. Mr. Varner seemed like an alright teacher. He didn't make me stand up in front of everyone, so that was an A+ in my book. He told me to go sit next to Jess, who had an empty seat.

This science lesson was based on physics and chemistry. The other was biology. We had to make a series and parallel circuit and then write down what happened.

I walked to music a bit deaf. Jess had screamed with pure excitement when our light bulb exploded. I told her it was a bad idea to hook it up to four batteries. My music teacher, Miss James made me introduce myself in front of everyone. I stammered and almost tripped when I went to take my seat next to a boy called Kirk.

Music flew by. I picked up a bass guitar for the first time and had a go at drums. I preferred bass. I spent my break in the library, looking for books that would help me with our physics homework. I was relieved when lunch finally came. Or so I thought.

"Hey, Kelsa! Come sit here!" Jess called. I sighed and put on my happy face. I sat next to her and a few people from our maths and music class. Kirk, the boy from music kept staring at me, making me feel self-conscious. After a few minutes, I couldn't take it any longer. "What is it?" I snapped.

"Nothing. Just looking, is all" He answered coolly.

"Well stop."

He just stared at me. Then he stood up and left.

A few people stood up one by one, leaving me with Jess. I tried to keep my happy face on. "I think Kirk likes you."

"Really? He's a jerk." I answered bitterly.

I turned my head so I wouldn't see her. It was then that I first saw them.

They were sat there, not eating and not talking. They all looked perfect, the five of them.

Jess followed my gaze and said "Those are the Ashmore's. They're foster kids of Mr. and Mrs. Ashmore. They're super weird. I mean, they're together, like _together together._"

"They're beautiful." I said absent-mindedly.

"The one with ginger hair, she's Becca. She always dies her fringes random colours. And she's with the blonde one over there, Charlie." She said.

"He looks like he's in pain." I said.

"He's always like that. Probably just wants attention."

I felt like that wasn't it. Like there was something more to the mysterious boy with dark circles under his eyes.

"Alright. The girl with really long black hair is Raven. Super intimidating. She just thinks she's better than everyone else." Jess said hotly. When Jess said that last sentence, Raven turned her head, just slightly and stared in our direction, like she'd heard. Becca said something to her and she stood up and left the canteen. A big bodybuilder looking boy followed her.

"That was Ben. And he's with Raven, obviously." Jess continued.

"He's huge. Not fat, but… wow" I stared.

"I know, right? He must work out… somewhere. There aren't any good gyms in Seathwaite."

One by one, the Ashmore siblings rose and left the table, leaving a boy behind.

"Who's he?" I asked Jess.

"That's Jacob Ashmore. He is gorgeous, clearly. But nobody here seems 'perfect' for him." She said. "And he's twins with Raven."

Jacob also had black hair, but unlike his sister, his eyes were an orangey-brown. Raven's were a misty grey. Jess, feeling her job was done, turned around and finished eating. I, however, kept staring. He must have felt like someone was looking at him, because his eyes suddenly flicked towards mine. His nostrils flared but he kept staring, and I found that I couldn't look away. After a minute, he looked away and shut his eyes, but his nostrils kept flaring. He suddenly stood up and walked out of the canteen.

Had Jacob just left because of me? I couldn't be sure.


	3. Does he hate me?

I watched the raindrops slowly slide down my passenger window. I sighed, and then wondered, will the weather always be like this? I waited patiently, while my Uncle Tom drove away from the airport. "So," he began. "How was your flight?"

"In word, boring." I answered glumly.

"That bad, huh? Oh well, once you get home, you'll rest up and relax."

I turned to look at him. "Thank you. I mean, you didn't have to do this for me. I could have gone to Granddad Mark's or someone…" My voice trailed off, embarrassed. Tom sighed, then patted my knee gently.

"Don't worry about it." His voice grew quiet then.

I turned my attention back to the rain. I was moving from moderately sunny Jersey to down-in-the-dumps Seathwaite. It always rained here. Everything seemed to be covered in green; the tree trunks, the ground, even some of the buildings. A sign said we were 5 miles from Seathwaite. The real reason I was moving, was because my Aunt Millie had had a nervous breakdown. She had been my previous guardian. As for my parents, well… they were dead.

A lump formed in my throat every time I thought about them. Quickly, I pushed them out of my mind. If I kept thinking about them, I'd start crying.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. I did sneeze once, and Tom laughed and told me I'd soon get used to the weather. I laughed too, and smiled warmly at him. Tom turned a sharp corner and we started to drive uphill. "I should warn you," Tom said. "Claire is very excited to see you. She'll pounce if she gets the chance." He laughed.

"I think I can handle it" Claire was Tom's wife, my Aunt. We'd never spoken more than a few sentences, but I did like her. I just had to adjust.

"And, you have a car!" Tom announced suddenly.

"I- I have a what?" I was stunned.

"A car, yep. We got it for you a few days ago, actually. You need to get to school somehow."

"A car, thank you! Oooh, what's it like?"

"It drives like a beauty. It's a BMW 5 series, got it very cheap off a guy in Leeds"

Tom pulled up outside a familiar house. I used to spend my summers with Claire and Tom until I turned 10. The outside looked exactly the same. Windows, doors and a huge elm tree in the front. I could spy Claire in a window, before she rushed through the front door.

"Kelsa, Kelsa!" Clair shouted. Tom and I got out of the car, and as he predicted, she pounced. Claire wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "I missed you so much!"

This was different. Tom had only given me an awkward one-armed hug. Claire was a different story. "Hey, Aunt Claire. I missed you too." And I really meant it.

I spotted my new car in front of the elm tree. I started walking towards it, but Tom steered me in the wrong direction. "Oh no you don't. Unpack, relax, and eat. Then worry about the car. Don't look at me like that. If it makes you feel better, here are the keys." He handed me a single key, with a voodoo doll keychain. "Thanks." I smiled up at him.

I took my luggage from the car, and entered to house. I walked upstairs and waited for Tom to join me. He opened a door and let me enter first. "This is your room. You can pack your stuff in the dresser here-" He pointed to a wooden dresser in the corner of the room."-and here's your bed and stuff…" I laughed, and told him I'd be fine.

Tom walked out of my room. I put my clothes in the dresser, the shoes and coats in the wardrobe and my laptop on the desk. The walls of the room were purple and green. The ceiling was blue. I took posters out of my other suitcase, and hung them in random places about the room. They were of my favorite bands, movies and actors/actresses. When I finished the place looked really homey. I went into the bathroom and started to brush my hair. It was light brown and was very tangled right now. After looking in my reflection, I decided to wash my face also. My eyes were really dull, usually a very bright blue, they looked bored and lifeless. I sighed and went downstairs.

My car key was in my pocket. I felt I could sneak past Tom and just sit in there. I opened the front door and quickly ran outside. The rain had stopped, and left a mist that hung around like a web. I took the keys and went forward to unlock the door. Then I sat in the drivers' seat. This felt great. Tomorrow, I'd be driving to school.

That last thought sent shivers down my back, but I told myself it was the mist. I put my hands on the steering wheel, and sighed. I wanted to turn it on, but Claire started calling for me, and I knew it was time to eat.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

I woke up to an annoying beeping. Quickly realizing it was my alarm; I shut it off and went to get my toiletries bag. I brushed my teeth furiously, and then had a shower. I could have stayed in there forever, but Claire told me to hurry.

I'd slept well during the night, but I kept waking up because of the cold. The rain had picked up again, and I pulled my head under my covers. After half an hour of this, I pulled the pillow over too.

I trudged down the stairs. "Morning." I said. Claire looked up from her magazine and Tom from his book. "Morning." They both chimed.

I put some Cheerios in a bowl and added milk and sugar to it. Claire said, "You'd better hurry, you'll be late. Do you know the way?"

"Drive past all the houses, and into the woodsy area. Turn left, then right. I'll know I'm there when I see other kids, possibly also in cars." I recited. Tom had given me the directions last night.

"Good." Said Claire. "Well, I'm off to work. Have a great day at school" She kissed me on the forehead and Tom on the cheek. A few minutes later Tom had to leave. He told me to have a great day too.

I left last. I got into my car and started off for school. It wasn't hard to find. I heard a few people whisper and look at he while I got out of my car.

The reception wasn't hard to find and when I went in, I felt very warm. "Hi, I need a timetable" I said awkwardly. The receptionist had honey-blonde hair and wore glasses that kept sliding down the bridge of her nose. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Kelsa Morgan, I'm new here"

She typed something on her keyboard, and something started printing off behind her. She handed me my timetable. "Thanks." I said. She told me to have a great first day.

I was getting tired of this.

My first lesson was science. Followed my music, maths, more science and finally food tech.

I started walking towards the science block. I looked around for my classroom and found that a girl was staring at me.

"Hi, you're Kelsa, aren't you? I'm Jess; I can show you around if you like?" She had bright blonde hair that had obviously been bleached too much. Her eyes were a startling blue that were outlined in eyeliner. She seemed friendly enough.

"Hey Jess I'm in room S12, but I can't find it."

"It's right there, silly." She pointed to a room right down the hallway.

"Thanks" I murmured.

"So, how do you like Seathwaite? I bet it's freezing, since you moved from somewhere warmer. You don't look very tanned, where'd you move from?"

"Um… Seathwaite is… Okay, I guess. I mean, it's way colder thanJersey. And, uh, I don't tan. Or burn." I answered her questions.

"You don't tan? Wow, that's amazing…"

The questions carried on like that, until we were outside our classroom. When we entered, I felt a hush. Everyone stare at the new girl. I ignored them and walked up to the teacher. Mr. Varner seemed like an alright teacher. He didn't make me stand up in front of everyone, so that was an A+ in my book. He told me to go sit next to Jess, who had an empty seat.

This science lesson was based on physics and chemistry. The other was biology. We had to make a series and parallel circuit and then write down what happened.

I walked to music a bit deaf. Jess had screamed with pure excitement when our light bulb exploded. I told her it was a bad idea to hook it up to four batteries. My music teacher, Miss James made me introduce myself in front of everyone. I stammered and almost tripped when I went to take my seat next to a boy called Kirk.

Music flew by. I picked up a bass guitar for the first time and had a go at drums. I preferred bass. I spent my break in the library, looking for books that would help me with our physics homework. I was relieved when lunch finally came. Or so I thought.

"Hey, Kelsa! Come sit here!" Jess called. I sighed and put on my happy face. I sat next to her and a few people from our maths and music class. Kirk, the boy from music kept staring at me, making me feel self-conscious. After a few minutes, I couldn't take it any longer. "What is it?" I snapped.

"Nothing. Just looking, is all" He answered coolly.

"Well stop."

He just stared at me. Then he stood up and left.

A few people stood up one by one, leaving me with Jess. I tried to keep my happy face on. "I think Kirk likes you."

"Really? He's a jerk." I answered bitterly.

I turned my head so I wouldn't see her. It was then that I first saw them.

They were sat there, not eating and not talking. They all looked perfect, the five of them.

Jess followed my gaze and said "Those are the Ashmore's. They're foster kids of Mr. and Mrs. Ashmore. They're super weird. I mean, they're together, like _together together._"

"They're beautiful." I said absent-mindedly.

"The one with ginger hair, she's Becca. She always dies her fringes random colours. And she's with the blonde one over there, Charlie." She said.

"He looks like he's in pain." I said.

"He's always like that. Probably just wants attention."

I felt like that wasn't it. Like there was something more to the mysterious boy with dark circles under his eyes.

"Alright. The girl with really long black hair is Raven. Super intimidating. She just thinks she's better than everyone else." Jess said hotly. When Jess said that last sentence, Raven turned her head, just slightly and stared in our direction, like she'd heard. Becca said something to her and she stood up and left the canteen. A big bodybuilder looking boy followed her.

"That was Ben. And he's with Raven, obviously." Jess continued.

"He's huge. Not fat, but… wow" I stared.

"I know, right? He must work out… somewhere. There aren't any good gyms in Seathwaite."

One by one, the Ashmore siblings rose and left the table, leaving a boy behind.

"Who's he?" I asked Jess.

"That's Jacob Ashmore. He is gorgeous, clearly. But nobody here seems 'perfect' for him." She said. "And he's twins with Raven."

Jacob also had black hair, but unlike his sister, his eyes were an orangey-brown. Raven's were a misty grey. Jess, feeling her job was done, turned around and finished eating. I, however, kept staring. He must have felt like someone was looking at him, because his eyes suddenly flicked towards mine. His nostrils flared but he kept staring, and I found that I couldn't look away. After a minute, he looked away and shut his eyes, but his nostrils kept flaring. He suddenly stood up and walked out of the canteen.

Had Jacob just left because of me? I couldn't be sure.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

I had to walk to my next class by myself because Jess had a different lesson. i could feel eyes on me and when I turned around, i saw a boy looking at me. He was tall, easily six foot. his black hair was short and spiked up at the back. A bunch of his hair was brushed in front of his face; it could have been a fringe. He could have also been wearing eyeliner. He was wearing combat boots, a HIM t-shirt and black skinny jeans.

Goth Boy smiled and stepped closer to me. "Hi, I'm Luke, you're Kelsa aren't you?"

"Yeah, hi." I smiled back at Luke and asked where my classroom was.

"You're in my class, right this way."

"Thanks." We waited outside the class, and i found myself not listening to Luke's chatter. Jacob was stood behing Luke, on the other side of the corridor.

"So, are you going to the dance?" Luke asked.

"Um, I don't think so, and isn't it girl's choice?" I asked sheepishly.

"Well, yeah but i was just wondering, you know?"

"Uh-huh"

The conversation came to an abrupt stop, and I tried to find a distraction from the queestions. I looked across the corridor and wondered where my teacher was. I could tell Jacob was trying to avoid eye contact, so I stared straight past him and looked into Becca Ashmore's eyes. She was walking very gracefully towards us. Her firey red hair flew behind her as she walked hand in hand with Charlie. His eyes were glued to the floor, and I could just about make them out to be a very bright blue. Becca's eyes were a vivid emerald green.

She walked past me and smiled, showing her fangs.

Wait, her what?

Before questions could come flying out of my mouth, our teacher, Mrs. Owens came and let us in class. Luke went off to his seat next to a girl with bright pink hair. Mrs. Owens seemed nice enough. Her large frame ws percect for her and her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. "You're Kelsa? Wow, well, let's find you a seat" She said. We scanned the room and found a seat pretty quickly. She took a giant text book out of her desk and led me to my seat.

It was right next to Jacob.

He seemed to have noticed I'd sit next to him. A seat was pulled out from under the shared desk. His eyebrows were knotted together, deep in thought.

"Now Mr. Ashmore, are you gonna help Miss. Morgan here get settled in?" Mrs. Owens asked.

We could have been waiting an eternity for Jacob to answer. He must have been holding his breath, because he suddely gasped and said, "Of couse." Mrs. Owens smiled at us and handed me the giant text book. She took a look at Jacob then took off.

I sat down next to Jacob, feeling Luke look at my every action. I was nervous to be around Jacob, even if we weren't in a room by ourselves. Throughout the entire lesson, Jacob's eyes never left the screen and his hands stayed in a fist on his lap. His hand was pulled up, covering his nostrils. Did I smell? I took a lock of my hair and sniffed it. It smelled like lemon grass and green tea, an innocent enough smell i suppose. I was crazed with these sort of smells, anything vegan or remotely vegetarian sounding was used in my hair.

I sighed and turned to face the board.

I went to my next lesson feeling very upset. Jacob had ignored me on purpose, on my first day! _Well, screw him, _I thought bitterly. I went to my next lesson, and tried not to dwell on the fact that Raven Ashmore was in my next class, which was food tech. I sat next to the girl with bright pink hair, who I now knew was called Leda

"Hey Kelsa, you listening?" Leda tapped my forehead with her fingertips. They were cool and cold, and I liked the way they felt on my skin. But I was quickly knocked out of my stupor.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?"

"You're just really quiet is all."

I shifted uncomfortably on my seat. There was no way I could tell her I was thinking about Jacob. And with Raven in the room, it was way too risky.

"Yeah, I got two pieces of homework today, you know?"

Leda laughed and said, "Yeah, my first day here, i got three! Almost tore my fricking head off!"

I laughed with her, and tried not to think about the misty grey eyes that bore into my back.


	4. And he crept back into my thoughts

**CHAPTER 4**

I drove home in the rain. Nothing could make me feel even worse off than I did.

I heard Tom coughing when I entered the house. I still didn't feel comfortable calling it 'my house'. I found Tom watching a cooking show I knew he wasn't really interested in. Dumping my bags on the floor, I joined him on the sofa.

"Hey kiddo, good day?" Tom asked me. His eyes were pink around the edges. So he had pink eye as well as a cold. That's what living in the cold can do to you I guess.

"It was good... for the most part. Where's Aunt Claire?"

"Well, she was supposed to be here an hour ago. She went out to get me some medicine. What's the matter?"

"Do you know anything about... the Ashmore's?"

"Yeah, I guess. Let me see," Tom scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment. "Do you mean Elijah and Emily Ashmore? Those Ashmore's?"

"I guess so. Their kids go to the same school as me." I shrugged.

"They're good kids. No trouble whatsoever. I wish I could say the same about the other kids around here."

That seemed to be the end. I left Tom and went upstairs to get started on my science homework. I was halfway through when I heard a small crash. It was like a twig was snapping somewhere, but I knew for a fact that I didn't have any trees growing in my room.

I saw a shadow move across my wall and gasped. I practically ran to my window, but I couldn't see anyone or anything. I rubbed my temples and lied down on my bed.

I was getting paranoid. There was no way that shadow was Jacob or any of the other Ashmore siblings. I thought of the way Jacob had looked at me. Why did he hate me so much? I hadn't said 'I hate you' or anything. Maybe I should have.

But... What would happen if I did? I'd never forgive myself. I'd always be toying with the notion of wondering if we could have ever be friends.

And Becca? She had fangs, for God's sake! What would happen if I was friends with her?

A knock on the front door took me out of my stupor. I heard someone's heels clatter noisily into the kitchen. I ran downstairs, tripping over my shoe.

Claire was a mess. Her blonde hair was all over the place, and her lipstick was smudged. The top 3 buttons of her receptionist uniform were undone, and i could smell cigarette smoke on her. Her pupils were dilated.

"Where have you been? Uncle Tom's been worried sick about you, literally!"

Clare looked at me, and breathed in. "I had to get some paracetamol from the drug store." she said gruffly.

Claire went to wake Tom up, but made him stay in the blankets. I watched her try to make us dinner, but she soon gave up and threw a pizza in the oven instead.

After 3 slices of pizza, and a glass of orange juice, I went upstairs to finish the rest of my homework. I was finally done with that, then laid down on my bed.

I didn't mind when Jacob Ashmore crept back into my thoughts.


	5. Missing

**Alrighty, so chapter 1, 2, and 3 are saved as 1 whole chapter. So sorry about that! T_T  
>So chapter 5 and onwards will be saved as their own chapter, lol XD<br>Thanks to whoever's reading :3 333 **

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

That night, I had a dream about Jacob.

We were stood in a field, not talking, but I felt comfortable being in his presence. We both raised our arms and our fingertips touched. His were much colder than mine. Then, the setting changed. We were suddenly in a forest clearing. He was closer to me now; if we moved, our arms would brush against each other. Then, his arms were around me. But, not in a romantic way, it was almost as if he was protecting me from something. I heard a shout, and was about to ask what was going on, but i couldn't find my voice. Then something huge was running in between the trees. I could only see a tail. It must have been a huge animal of some sort.

The animal stopped running and looked at me. It's eyes were dark, almost black.

The animal lunged.

I woke up screaming during the night. Claire had come in and tried to comfort me, and I finally found sleep. I didn't dream after that.

While I was in my car, I thought of a plan. I'd ask Jacob what his problem was. I had maths today, so I would be able to talk to him then. If he didn't ignore me, that is.

I waited in front of my car. It seemed too obvious, so I went to sit on a bench, with a book on my lap. Without realizing what I was doing, I started drawing eyes on my page. When I realized, I quickly got my rubber and erased them from the page. I didn't want them looking at me.

I looked behind me and saw that the Ashmore's had already arrived. Raven and Ben came out of the front, and Becca and Charlie from the back. Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

My day was horrible. I hadn't seen Jacob all day, and I found myself missing him, instead of resenting him. Nevertheless, my plan had to go into action.

But the next day, Jacob still wasn't in school. This time, Charlie and Ben were missing with him.

Thursday saw the girls missing, and it looked like Charlie and Ben couldn't cope. Charlie nervously tapped his fingernails on the canteen table. Ben fidgeted and scanned the room as if he was waiting for Raven to come back. I watched this from my table with Jess. She must have been pissed, but if she was, she didn't say anything.

On Friday, all of the Ashmore siblings were missing.

I was just about to get into my truck when I heard my name being called.

"Kelsa! Kelsa, wait!" I recognized Leda's voice. I turned around and found her hair a bright shade of teal. I'd been so pre-occupied with Jacob this week, I'd hardly noticed.

"Hey Leda," I said. "What's up?"

Leda caught up with me and started panting. Then she said, "I was meant to be going to Groves Park tomorrow, but my cousin couldn't make it. In fact here she is now."

We both turned around and saw an athletic-looking girl running towards us. Her brown hair was flying behind her and she seemed to be looking at me. She reached us in no time at all, but unlike her cousin, she didn't pant. "Hey Leda, Gran said I can go, David will look after her." She said to Leda. Then she turned to me.

This girl looked so familiar. Something about her eyes... They were dark, _almost black._

I gasped. Before I could start whimpering, Leda said, "Kelsa, this is my cousin Daniella. Daniella, this is Kelsa."

"Yeah," Daniella said. "I remember."

I narrowed my eyes. "You... remember me?"

"Of course," Daniella smiled. I loved it. "I'd be happy to explain if you'd go to the park with us tomorrow?"

Leda looked hopefull, so did Daniella. "Sure, why not?" I said.

Daniella's smile got even bigger, and I found myself smiling with her.

"Well, see you tomorrow then." Leda waved and went to her car with Daniella.

Well, I had my weekend all planned out.

I almost forgot about Jacob. _Almost. _


End file.
